After two successful seasons, Heroes and Prospects is back and it's better than ever. Set for a November 30th 2006 release this year's version continues the tradition of paying tribute to the game's past while celebrating it's future.

"Although each year brings us another challenge to make Heroes and Prospects even better, I think this year we have definitely met the challenge. With the inclusion of Team Canada players and the signing of Super-Hero Mark Messier, the 2006-07 Heroes and Prospects is a product I am extremely proud of" said ITG President, Dr. Brian H. Price.

The 150-card base set will once again feature hockey's greatest names along with the stars of tomorrow that have played in the AHL and CHL as well as on the international scene. Additionally, the brand will be bolstered by the presence of cards featuring players while skating for Team Canada.

In 2006-07, the Heroes portion of the set will include some of the most exciting players to step on the ice in recent years. Mark Messier leads the pack that will include memorable icons such as Jaromir Jagr, Luc Robitaille and Mario Lemieux. Fans of the game's lush history will also appreciate cards of Willie O'Ree, Milt Schmidt and Elmer Lach.

A number of exciting prospects played in the AHL last season and In The Game will be presenting many of them on cards in Heroes and Prospects. It's only a matter of time before players such as Patrick O'Sullivan, Jeff Tambellini and Aleksander Suglobov make a huge impact and we've got them here!

Many of the players selected in the 2006 Entry Draft are a part of the CHL prospects portion of the base and autograph set and the lineup is set to include future superstars such as Peter Mueller, Jordan Staal and Derick Brassard. Throw in big names like Angelo Esposito and John Tavares along with OHL rookies Steve Stamkos, Michael Del Zotto and Jared Staal and you've got something remarkable.

In The Game has also gone all over the world to put together an amazing lineup of International Prospects. From Russia, collectors can find Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Vasyunov and Yuri Alexandrov while Michael Frolik and Jiri Tlusty represent the Czech Republic. Rounding out this group are Finnish goaltender Tuukka Rask and American sensation Phil Kessel. The Team Canada subset is sensational, as well, 12 of the game's brightest are shown in their red, white and black jerseys. Oh Canada!

With a base set like this, the lineup of players signing autographs is sure to sizzle and collectors will be able to find Autograph cards of most players in this release. A complete lineup will be announced closer to the release date in order to ensure that there are no redemptions. Also, don't forget that you can only find autographs of John Tavares in products from In The Game!

Last year, In The Game introduced an exciting innovation within its popular Heroes and Prospects Game-Used Jersey cards as the swatches of memorabilia cards were among our largest to date. This season, collectors can expect these big swatches once again and the 61-card set features AHL stars like Jimmy Howard, Ryan Getzlaf and Alexandre Picard along with CHL prospects such as Tavares, Esposito and Mueller.

There are also Game-Used Number and Game-Used Emblem cards available and they are sure to please with large and colorful pieces that will be a fine addition to many collections.

Returning once again to the Heroes and Prospects lineup are Net Prospects, Making The Bigs and Complete Jersey. Heroes Memorabilia is back as well and these cards will feature a piece of game-used equipment from some of the biggest names in hockey history. This season features the return of National Pride and the set will feature pieces of game-used gloves from a number of top Canadian prospects.

In addition to all of these collections, In The Game is also proud to unveil some new innovations such as CHL Top Prospects Game cards that feature two pieces of memorabilia. Some of the game's best young players are in this set and are depicted in the uniform they wore at the annual event. Fans of the AHL All-Star Classic aren't left out in the cold as 12 players that have appeared in the game over the past few years are featured in the AHL All-Star Jersey, AHL All-Star Emblem and AHL All-Star Number sets.

One of In The Game's most popular memorabilia offerings makes it into Heroes and Prospects for the first time and the Stick & Jersey cards feature some of the hottest young players around. The multi-swatch fun doesn't stop there as we are proud to add Double Memorabilia and Triple Memorabilia to our product and these cards are sure to please.

Perhaps the most exciting addition to Heroes and Prospects is the Quad Emblem collection. You will find four pieces of game-used emblem from top prospects together on the same card and they will be extremely limited. It also wouldn't be Heroes and Prospects without the AHL and CHL Complete Logo cards. Over the past two years, these cards have been highly sought-after by collectors due to their scarcity and visual appeal. This year's roster boasts some big names and they are sure to be a hot pull!

In The Game has also made an effort to offer collectors more options when it comes to non-memorabilia inserts. New for 2006-07 are the Calder Cup Champions (featuring members of the Hershey Bears) and Class of 2006 sets which are available in Hobby boxes. Collectors purchasing Arena boxes will be able to find Memorial Cup Champions (featuring members of the Québec Remparts) and AHL Shooting Stars cards. The overall odds of finding an non-memorabilia insert card is 1:12 packs for either version.

The Hobby version of Heroes and Prospects will once again feature In The Game's ever-popular He Shoots, He Scores Decoy/Redemption Card Program. One redemption card will be included in each pack that does not contain a game-used memorabilia card. These extra-thick cards help deter pack searching and each comes with a value of one point. All CHL and AHL teams are depicted this season, including the Worcester Sharks, Lowell Devils and Chilliwack Bruins! Collectors who accumulate enough points will have the opportunity to redeem them for unique and limited game-used memorabilia cards which are not available in packs.

Hobby boxes will have autograph cards inserted 1:14 packs and memorabilia cards inserted 1:20 packs. These odds are for the entire production run and are not guaranteed in any individual box.